Happiness Where You Can Find It
by Darkl26139
Summary: Willow and Chloe meet and start to date but will either of their worlds allow them to find any long term happiness? Special thanks to my Beta Anne McSommers for all her help.
1. Chapter 1

**Happiness Where You Can Find It**

"So who is he?" Oliver asked, trying to be casual about it which was difficult leaning over her shoulder.

Chloe stopped tapping her pen against her note pad, looked up at him innocently, and replied "Who?" She hoped her award winning smile would get her off the hook but the look in his eyes told her he wasn't going to drop this.

"Whoever it is that has you on cloud 9. Whoever it is that has you so distracted you can't hack a simple little website for me." he replies as he leans over her to meet her eyes. He is glad to see her smiling and happy, but it is getting in the way of the mission. Also, anyone new in their world needs to checked out very carefully. There is too much at stake not to.

Trying not to blush but failing, she still tries to deny by twisting the truth a bit "There is no he. I swear." she promises as she crosses her heart. She can't tell him the truth. She is still trying to figure that out for herself.

"Fine but get your head out of the clouds and get back to work. I am not paying you to daydream." he jokingly scolds, while inside he is disappointed she won't confide in him. He thought they were close. He tells her all his secrets.

"Yes, sir" Chloe snarks with a mock salute, before focusing on her computer again. Her new friend might be able to help her. Maybe she could just call for some advice? Knowing that, that road leads elsewhere, she refrains. Still.

Buffy storms into Xander's office all covered in slime. "YOU PROMISED!" she shouts as she leans over his desk.

Laughing and getting slime thrown at him for laughing, he replies "I said our intel did not indicate a Thural demon. I never promised. It will wash off."

Making a noise, Buffy flings more slime at Xander before storming off to take a shower.

Several hours and layers of skin later, she has gotten most of the slime off so she makes her way towards the café to scrounge up some food. With so many slayer appetites under one roof, food was often in short supply even though it was delivered daily by the truck load. Her day is surprisingly routine: train, lecture, eat, train, etc. It is as close to normal as her life gets, and it feels wonderful.

As always, she gathers her things just before dawn as he pretends to sleep. They have been friends long enough to know this is not love or even lust. It is just a release, and a moment of joy in their dark worlds. Still each wishes there was more to say.

Buffy dresses in the hallway before making her way back to her room. Sex always helps her relax enough to sleep. As she is making her way back to her room, she is surprised to hear humming. Investigating the noise, she see Willow making her way down the stairs from the roof humming as she walks. Buffy remembers that humming from when she was with Tara. Willow only does that when she is very happy and relaxed. Curious as to who Willow is seeing, she makes her way to the roof. On the roof she only finds 2 slayers on guard duty. They give her a look before one of them sighs and comes over to Buffy.

"She has been going out every few nights for the last few weeks. We don't ask where she goes but she always comes back happy. We are taking bets on who she met in this quiet little part of nowhere that is Smallville. Personally, I think she is flying to Metropolis as I don't think this town is friendly to those who are different." Amada informs Buffy.

Buffy can hear her anger in her voice and understands. These hicks have been giving all the girls a hard time whenever they go into town. The local boys were at first excited to have so many girls living nearby, but when one got grabby and had his arm broke, they changed their minds. Still, not everyone is mean to them. "Well, I will speak to her. We can't risk everyone's safety by bringing in outsiders until we have checked them out."

"So that is why she is sleeping with Xander? I know she is the boss, but he could do better than her" Buffy overhears one of the girls ask the other as she makes her way back downstairs. She should have known that nothing can be kept secret. She does feel guilty when she thinks she might be keeping Xander from someone else, but since Renee died Xander doesn't seem to be able to feel anything. Even when they are together, it is strictly a physical thing for him. There is no sign of the caring compassionate man from high school. She understands his pain having lived through losing Angel, so she knows he will be fine in time. She just hopes she can let him go when he does meet "her", because right now he is her lifeline. She knows she doesn't love him in that way, nor does he her, but she desperately needs what they do have. It is the only time she doesn't have to be Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This is why she shouldn't get involved with anyone. It is too complicated, in her otherwise already complicated life.

She runs her hand on the smooth marble of the staircase. This mansion is far too ornate for her tastes but it was free thanks to one of their sponsors and the grounds give them plenty of room to train in private. She hoped coming back to America would make her feel more comfortable, as Scotland never felt like home but it didn't. She just doesn't fit in the world the way she used. Just one more bonus prize of being "The Slayer".

Xander finishes his breakfast just in time to catch Willow making her way to teach a lesson. "Hey Will." he calls to her to get her to stop. Buffy had wanted to be the one to have this conversation but he is in charge so it should be him that way Buffy can talk to Willow as her friend. Just one more little way Xander tries to make his friends' lives better.

"Xander." she says with a big smile which only confirms what Buffy told him.

"Look Will, you know I am in charge, so it is in charge guy saying this. I am glad you met someone but we need to meet her and we need to check her out. We can't have any of our assets putting themselves at risk like this. There is protocol for a reason and I expect everyone to follow it." he tells her.

Her smile does falter, but her tone changes "Love doesn't follow protocol." she replies.

"But Willow does." he says firmly.

Willow thinks for a moment. Her new friend is not going to be happy about getting the 5th degree even if Xander does have a point. They have all been fooled before. She is not worried about the whole slayer and demons part as her friend took that news really well. She just doesn't know if her friend is ready to "go public" about their relationship. She flashes momentarily on her arms wrapped tightly around her friend as she took her flying. "God that was fun." To Xander, she replies "This is all new to her. I am her first girlfriend. She is still trying to deal with all that, so I don't want to overwhelm her." raising her hand to stop Xander from interrupting her "but I understand your point as well. Let me talk to her tonight and then maybe just you can meet her?"

"Agreed. And Will the not in charge guy is glad to see you smiling again. She must be some girl." he says as he walks towards the command center.

"Yes, Chloe Sullivan is one amazing young woman." she thinks with a smile on her lips as she enters her classroom.

Oliver is working himself hard as he turns, flips, and jumps through the obstacle course built in his personal skyscraper firing arrows at targets all around the room. So engrossed it takes him a minute to notice Chloe standing nervously in the corner of the room, just behind the safety glass. Interupting his workout, he heads over to her. "Hey Watchtower. What's up?" he asks in a friendly playful tone.

She looks away for a second, the classic indication she has something huge on her mind, before looking back at him. "There is something I would normally talk to Lois about, but with her missing" She refused to say dead. "I was hoping I could talk to you. I don't want to sound harsh but it is girl stuff so I totally understand if you don't want to. Also, I don't want to freak you out. You have to promise not to tell the guys, particularly Bart." she babbles another indication of just how upset she is.

Oliver puts his hands on her shoulders and looks in the eyes as he says "You can tell me anything. I will always be here for you." Inside he wonders if the lucky guy to be dating her is worthy of her. Clearly he has done something. Whoever he is, he will pay if he hurts her, Oliver silently swears. Chloe has suffered enough with losing Jimmy and Lois, and then Clark walking out on them. He struggles to stifle his frustration when he thinks of Clark's cowardice in running away.

Chloe leans into his chest as she mutters "I just don't know what to do and I am scared."

"Is she preganant? Did this guy knock her up and run? Definetly going to paying this guy a visit as Green Arrow." "It will be ok. Why don't you start at the beginning?" he suggests as he guides her into the next room and onto the sofa.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe starts to explain "I met her a few weeks ago one night at the Talon. I had never noticed "noticed"," She makes hand gestures. "a girl before, but something about her just caught my attention. She noticed and grinned at me before I embarrassingly turned away. The brief moment our eyes met was so intense. I mean I loved Clark for years and then there was Jimmy but this was just so different. Totally freaked out, I told myself it was just my reporter instincts kicking up because she is one of the girls that took over the Luthor Mansion. This gave me the perfect excuse to watch her. I tried to hide my spying, but she caught me and seemed to find it amusing. At one point, she got up and head towards me. I was so terrified she was going to sit down. I had not idea what I would say to her. Instead she just walked by my table and out the side door.

It was only because I was watching her that I noticed them. Two ordinarily dressed men got up and followed her outside. Now I was in full Watchtower mode and had to investigate, so I went around the other way so I could spy on the alley without being seen. It helps to be on your old home turf.

When I got around to the side, I saw the two men make a grab for her but before I could shout a warning she spun around with glowing hands. She shocked them or something and they slumped to the ground. She noticed me as I had stepped into the alley as I was moving to help her. Seeing me she smiled which caused her to fail to notice a third goon entering the alley behind her. He fired a dart gun at her and hit her in the arm. She swayed and nearly fell. Without thinking, I pulled and fired my taser at the guy. He fell to the ground with all his muscles spasiming out of control.

I went to help her up but she was already standing. For a second her eyes were black pools but then they returned to normal. She then touched each of the goons on the forehead as she said to me "Thanks for the help."

"It is ok. Look my place is nearby. Why don't come back there with me?" I said figuring getting out of public was probably a good idea.

She raised an eyebrow at me, smiled, and quipped "but you didn't buy me dinner first." Seeing me turn bright red, she laugh and continued "Lead on Princess Charming."

Stumble for a reply, I just guided her back into the Talon and upstairs. I haven't lived in the apartment in awhile but it is still mine for another month. I might keep it anyway as a fallback. Anyway, when I got her settled on the sofa I asked her how long she had her powers.

She looked at me for a second before she explained she didn't gain any real power until after high school. Learning magic took a lot of trial and error and she mentioned she made some big mistakes in the process but now she has a good handle on her power.

"So you're not metor infected?" I asked.

She looked at me oddly then replied. "I don't know what that means but I don't think so. I am a witch."

"Wow, a real witch?" I replied like I was still in high school. I was so mortified.

She just laughed and nodded. "You don't seem freaked out by that so you how long have you been dealing with people with powers?" she asked.

Fairs fairs so I told her all about my life. I left out names and other details so she won't know about any of you guys. We talked for hours. It felt really good talking to her. Kind of like what Clark and I used to have. " Chloe pasuses, seeing the hurt in Oliver's eyes. "or what we have now. When I finished, she told me her story. She fights monsters and demons! Most of the girls up at the Mansion have magical powers which make them stronger and faster than normal humans. She called them "Slayers". Anyway, she helps her friends save the world.

Suddenly, she jumped up as she noticed it was nearly Dawn. "I have to go. My friends will start to worry. I had fun. Can we hang out again?" she asked surprisingly nervous for a moment.

"Sure" I replied. I told myself I need to learn more for a story and then I tried to tell myself I need to know if they were a threat but the truth was I just enjoyed her company.

So we started hanging out a few times a week. She even took my flying which was totally amazing. The wind on my face was just so awesome. Not even super speeding with Clark had I ever felt so free before. Anyway, as we got to know each other she told me about her boyfriends and then about her girlfriends. She told me how scared she was when she realized she liked a girl. She did all this without ever once making a move on me even though we could both feel that there was something between us. She made it clear she liked me but didn't want to rush me. I told her about my relationships with Clark and Jimmy. I told her how comfortable I felt around her and how much I enjoyed being with her but that I had never felt this way about a girl before. It was very confusing but I didn't want to stop seeing her.

Anyway, I am rambling. This week two things happened. One: Her friends want to meet me. She told me because of everything that they deal with, her friends were worried and wanted to meet me. They wanted to check me out to make sure I wasn't a demon in disguise or anything. I guess that has happened to one of her friends once before.

Two: she kissed me. As she was leaving my apartment just before dawn, she gave me a goodbye kiss on the lips. Normally we just hugged. She pulled back immediately and it was clear she hadn't planned on kissing me. It just happened. She started to apologize but I kissed her back before she could get the words out. It was just a quick kiss. Nothing too intense but it felt good. Without saying anything else, she flew home.

Which brings me to my problem: What I am going to do!! I am still not sure about this whole dating a girl thing and now I have to meet her friends. What am I going to do?"

Oliver laughs which earns him a cross look from her so he explains "Chloe, it is pretty clear listening to you that you have a thing for this woman, so just go with it. If she makes you happy what else matters? Although her friends do have a point. We should check her out and I would like to meet her. If she can throw the great Watchtower into a daze she must be a powerful witch indeed." he teases.

"So you're not freak out?" she asks nervously.

"Not in the least but you are right about not telling Bart. He will want pictures." he jokes.

"She agreed to meet you, but she wants to meet on her turf. The local coffee shop at 9 PM tonight" she tells Xander as Buffy sits pouting in the corner. Willow knows she has more apologizing to do to her friend. She really didn't deliberately shut Buffy out. It was just that this was so new. That's a lie she admits to herself. Ever since Buffy was with Satsu, there has been an awkwardness to their relationship. Willow can admit to being a bit hurt that her best friend didn't talk to her about her feelings for Satsu, and also a bit jealous that Buffy didn't like her that way, which is weird since they have been friends forever. It is just somehow there is distance between them that didn't used to be there. She doesn't want to lose her best friend, but can't seem to stop it from happening. The whole thing is a mess neither can solve.

"Hi I am Xander" he says as he offers his hand. He is intrigued by Chloe. She is not like Willow's last girlfriend. Chloe has way more of the girl next door thing going for her. She reminds him a little bit of Tara but with more self confidence.

"Chloe, nice to meet you." she replies. Willow's friend Xander looks like Nick Fury out of the comic books with his military style dress and the eye patch. There is an air of confidence about him which reminds her of Oliver, but without so much ego. Her instincts tell her she can trust him.

They sit in her apartment at the Talon's living room and nervously exchange pleasantries. Xander is friendly enough and she appreciates his geek humor. Still he has not gotten to the meat of his visit. Tired of dancing around it, Chloe pipes up with "I am not a demon, but I did have a metor power for awhile before an alien super computer rewrote my brain and my friend had to save me. Now, I am just plain old human. I have no idea where this thing with Willow is going, but I want to find out. That cover everything?"

Xander laughs and replies "It just about does. The only things I need to add the obligatory "If you hurt my friend I have an army to hunt you down" speech and the feel free to drop by whenever you like. I will get out of your hair now. It is really nice to meet you. It is good to see Will smiling again." He stands and heads out the door leaving before a blushing Chloe or stunned Willow can react.

Willow nearly falls out of her seat. Xander had spent a full day pouring over the research data on Chloe. He made lists of questions to ask. He practiced interrogation tactics! While relieved he gave his stamp of approval, she can't believe it was so easy or quick. "I just need to speak with Xander for a second then I will be right back. Ok?"

Chloe nods her acknowledgement while still processing her conversation with Xander. It didn't happen at all like she thought it would. She had prepared like she would have for an interview but this was way more friendly chat than she expected. She thinks he gave his ok for her to keep seeing Willow and it fills her with a pleasant warm happiness.

Xander is waiting for Willow at the bottom of the Talon stairs. "I like her." he says simply.

Relieved that she didn't have to choose between her friends and Chloe, she is still puzzled. "Are you sure you had all your questions answered? I mean you prepped like you were going into court or something." she just has to ask.

"I am. I saw the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. That is enough for friend Xander. Our research shows she has been dealing with weird and dangerous as long as we have and it shows she has helped however she could, which is enough for commander Xander. So ya we are good.

You still need to talk to Buffy about all this. She actually cried last night you know. I think she believes you are upset of the whole Satsu situation. You know she didn't do that to hurt you. Honestly, I think she is just so lonely she grabs at any connection. You are her best friend Will and she needs you as much as you need her." Xander explains.

"I know. The whole thing is just so messed up. We have so many secrets from each these days. I wish I knew how to fix it but I don't. With my relationship with Chloe and all the stuff we have going on, it has just been easier to put it off. I am sorry for that. I promise I will talk to her soon. Ok." Willow promises.

"Ok, now go have fun." Xander replies while playfully pushing Willow to the stairs. "Oh it might be a good idea if we set up some video surveillance just to make sure." he quips with a smirk and wink of his remaining eye.

"Don't you wish." she playfully replies as she heads back up to Chloe's apartment.

Nervously Chloe sits on the sofa waiting for Willow to walk back in. Now that the interview is over comes the really tough part: What to do about the kiss? "So Sullivan is this what you want?" she wonders. The beautiful happy smile Willow gives her as she comes back into the apartment answers her doubts. Before her courage escapes her, she jumps up and kisses Willow. Willow is surprised, but not upset by Chloe's implusive and daring move.

They just enjoy kissing for awhile but the heat between them is defiantly building. Cautious hands make their way over nervous flesh. Breathing becomes ragged and frantic. Pulses pound with need. Before things cross the point of no return, Willow pauses to ask "Are you sure?"

"Oh yes." Chloe replies before stealing any other doubts with a passionate kiss.

Waking slowly the next morning, Chloe is disappointed to find herself alone in her bed. Last night was a bit terrifying, but it felt so right. She knows they connected in ways her and Jimmy never did during sex. She has never felt so close to anyone before, so waking up alone is almost too painful to bear. "Was this all an elobarte one night stand? No, it was more than that. It must be some emergency that called her away. Oh god what if I wasn't any good? Or maybe she freaked out." Chloe's groggy mind quickly kicks into full panic attack mode.

Luckily, "Morning sleepy head" cuts off her panic. Looking to the door to her bedroom, she sees Willow dressed in her red robe standing siluotted by the morning sunshine there with two cups. She hands Chloe one of them as she sits next to her on the bed.

Taking a sip to give herself a moment to recover from her panic attack, Chloe is pleased to find her coffee just the way she likes it. "Thanks." she murmurs in gratitude for more than just the coffee.

Willow doesn't reply at first just sits sipping her tea watching Chloe drink her coffee. The silent moments between her and Jimmy seemed an eternity of torture but this silence is just, for lack of a truly descriptive word, comfortable.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So did you like her? What is she like? Is she good enough?" Buffy babbles as soon as Xander crosses the threshold. The bombardment of her questions is even more overwhelming, because Buffy doesn't standing still. Instead she paces back and forth. The look of annoyance on the faces of the slayers in the room makes it clear that she has been pacing since he left.

"I do like her. I can see why Will likes her." Xander announces as he grabs Buffy by the shoulders so she will stop driving him mad with her pacing. He lifts her chin so she has to meet his eyes as he continues "Will is happy. Does the rest of it really matter more?"

Guiltily Buffy shrugs her reluctant agreement. She tells herself it is not jealousy in the lover sense, but more fear of permanently losing her best friend. She has so few relationships of any sort it terrifies to her to have even one at risk. Especially since Will has always been there for her despite all their differences. Summoning her resolve Buffy promises to do her best to be here for Will this time. "_The other stuff will work out. I mean look at all we went through."_ she reassures herself.

Oliver is so surprised by the sound he hears coming from his elevator he falls off his sawhorse mid flip. Landing with little grace, he saves his dignity by turning his fall into a roll which propels him back onto his feet and out his workout room's door. There, a still humming Chloe puts down her coffee at her Watchtower workstation and gets to work. Her fingers fly across the keyboard but every so often she glances skyward and a smile creeps to her lips. Realizing what must have happened, Oliver decides to play it cool despite the great temptation to tease her. He doesn't want to frighten or freak Chloe out as he is still not sure how sure she is. Even if it looks like things are progressing.

"Hey Watchtower." he announces as she still hasn't noticed him, which is just another confirmation of his theory. As he closes to her workstation, he notices the site she is looking at. He only catches a glimpse before her lightning fast fingers minimize the window, but he saw it was a site dedicated to gift ideas for the magically active.

She tilts her head to the side to look at him as she replies "Hi Ollie." The huge grin plastered on her face combined with glint in her eyes makes it clear that she had a wonderful night.

"Have a goodnight?" he asks in as innocent voice as he can.

"Oh yes." Chloe mummers with a dreamy far away look in her eyes before realizing what she let slip. The red creeping up her cheeks causes Oliver to bark out a laugh.

"So sealed the deal huh." he chides unable to restrain himself from ribbing her a little.

Turning even a darker shade of red, Chloe tries to reply but only manages to stammer "We just had a nice night, I mean date, I mean it was fun, that's all"

Laughing once more Ollie quips "Come on, I know you can lie better than that."

"Even if something did happen, why would I share the details with a caveman like you? You would probably just send Bart over with a video camera." she quips back reluctantly admitting she won't be able to get away with just denying anything happened. Something did happen and it has changed her world. She had never experience sex like that. She shivers just from the memory of Willow's hands gliding over her bare skin.

Oliver looks at the ceiling while rubbing his chin pretending to consider the idea. "I think some things are best left in management's hands." he snarks back as he steps back to avoid her playful swat.

Buffy knew their sponsor had a reason for offering them this posh all expenses paid mansion to live in but she never expected this. She has faced vampires, demons, and even a god, but aliens? Even she is not so sure about that. She would tell her sponsor not to believe in fairy tales, but she has seen too many supposedly make believe things walking around to. Besides the evidence that arrived in a black leather briefcase is pretty convincing. The trouble is how to find these aliens as they look just like ordinary humans. The pictures included showed the one known alien lifting a pickup truck, tearing off a vault door, and dozens of other incredible things. He is clearly stronger and faster than a slayer, but that doesn't worry Buffy. All things have their weakness and can be killed. Their sponsor was kind enough to include a small glowing green rock which is believed to be his weakness. Investigating this Clark Kent will help get her mind off the mess with Willow and her other worries. She can use a straight forward good vs. evil fight.

Clark is once more brooding over his decision to abandon Chloe and Oliver, not to mention his life as a hero. He should be helping them fight the good fight but he just can't. He tried being the red blue blur. After Jimmy's death he tried being the cold detached savior dedicated to all mankind. That didn't help either. The truth was he just couldn't bring himself to care about the world anymore. It had taken so much from him despite of all he did for it.

He decided to just be Clark Kent. It has been nearly three months since he did anything heroic. Well except that one time but that didn't count. He swears he doesn't miss it. It is so liberating just being Clark. His career has really taken off now that he is not distracted all the time. Best of all, he has time for her. He couldn't put his finger on when Lois wormed her way under his skin but she is firmly in his heart now. Now that he doesn't have to lie to her 24/7 they have gotten very close. They are the best team of reporters in the city. He is confident they will be more than partners very soon.

Clark tripped over his feet once again just so he could accidently bump into Lois. He makes sure their contact is light and all too brief, but still heaven. To the rest of the world the look she gives him would send them running but to Clark it is like lying in full sun on a nice day. His skin practically tingles with the energy from basking in her look.

"Walk often, Smallville?" she quips as cutting as ever, but she ruins it when a tiny bit of something passes across her eyes when she meets his. She would never admit that even such brief contact between them sends shivers up and down her spine.

It is this tiny something that gives him such hope. It is madness to be chasing a reporter as dedicated as Lois but he just can't help himself. Besides deep down he knows she would never hurt him.

Buffy really hates wearing the stiletto heels after so many years in more comfortable footwear but they are a necessary evil for her plan. It was for her in these heels that Angel fought his way out of hell. She strides across the newsroom heading for the desk of her prey. From a distance he looks harmless enough, which only puts her more on guard. It is always the innocent looking ones which turn out to be the biggest monsters. Her review of Metropolis' crime reports, which a humming Willow absent mindedly hacked from the Police Department, have shown her just how dangerous he is. 37 murders attributed to some unknown superhuman monster and Clark Kent has been seen around each and ever one of them. Two other people suspected of investigating the murders, one Jimmy Olsen and One Davis Bloome, turned up dead not too long ago. She hasn't read their files yet as she didn't want to miss her appointment but she is sure they were onto him and paid the ultimate price. He won't claim any more victims with her around.

"Hi I am Buffy Summers, Head of the Luthor School for Girls. I believe your Clark Kent. We have an appointment." she says in her best bubble princess voice.

"Yes I am. You're early. Thanks for coming. Have a seat right here." Clark replies as he points to the seat next to his desk. He didn't expect the headmistress to be A: so young B: so attractive. Although he notices her clothes don't seem to suit her walk. There is too much predator and not enough slink for her to match her style of dress. Suspicious and a bit intrigued, Clark mentally prepares to dig beneath her surface.

Lois mistaking Clark studying the very attractive blond swishing her way over to them for a leer, smacks him but he doesn't even react which only further confirms her theory about him leering. After all how could she know that his invulnerable skin didn't even register her light smack? She has no idea how close Clark has to watch people, so he could react as expected.

Buffy lays the sexy on extra heavy making sure to give him the full view that her low cut blouse offers as she sits next to him. The woman next to him rolling her eyes confirms she managed the look she was aiming for. However, she is surprised and her pride a bit wounded when she catches his eyes studying her and not her cleavage. "_He is more dangerous than I though. All predator this one." _she realizes.

After several well thought out and probing questions Clark is no closer to finding anything about what is really going on at Lex's old home than he was when she walked in. She has given him perfectly reasonable answers that one would expect regarding a school for girls, but she is clearly holding a lot back. The way she watches him makes him a bit uncomfortable as she is clearly viewing him as prey, but not in a sexual way she is pretending too. It reminds him of the plantwoman from the Phantom Zone. It is another thing that confirms his gut feeling that something is not right at the mansion. Noticing that their time is almost up, Clark is desperately trying to think of a way to justify another meeting. He had hoped she would offer a tour of the school but she has ignored his hints in that direction. Distracted he answers a bit too quickly for his and Lois' taste when Buffy asks her next question.

Frustrated beyond belief and more than a little annoyed her charms haven't wormed anything useful out of Clark, Buffy struggles with what to do next. She had hoped her feminine wiles would not only deflect any of his questions about the "school" but also get him to let something she could use slip. She can't even get him to ask her out despite practically promising to jump him if he did. No one can be that clueless. He must be onto her somehow which presents a dilemma Should she invite him to the school where they could confront him or try to find out more about him? The files on him indicated that they know only a fraction of his abilities which makes Buffy reluctant to dive right into a confrontation. Her mom would be proud to know her daughter could actually think before leaping in. Since he wasn't taking the bait, she decided to use a more direct approach. "Clark" she says seductively, placeing her hand on his well muscled arm. "I would really like to get to know you better. Is there anyway you would have diner with me?"

"Better watch yourself Smallville as she has you on the menu." quietly quips Lois. Her comment is only to protect a coworker from a shark and has nothing to do with the fact he won't be having dinner with her. Sure they never go out, but their late night meals over their face to face desks are something Lois has grown to treasure more than she is ready to admit.

Buffy struggles to keep a smile off her face but in spite of her efforts a smirk creeps to her lips. She catches Clark's eyes and realizes she just made a mistake. There was no way a normal human could have heard Lois' under breathe comment from where she is sitting particularly with all the background noise of a busy newsroom. Although on the positive side, she just learned his hearing is also far beyond normal. She will have to take precautions so he can't overhear anything he shouldn't. "_I bet Xander will have some ideas. He loves all the James Bondish toys we now have." _"So I will drive if you pick the restaurant. Meet here say 7:30PM?"

"Sure" Clark replies warily.

"Great" Buffy replies as she jumps up and does her best saunter over to the elevators out. She even throws in an over the shoulder glance and hair flip. Her vanity is pleased to see his eyes followed her to the elevator.

"Need a bib?" Lois quips as she watches Clark track that little twit to the elevator. She hadn't paid any attention to Tess's little school in Smallville, but now she is thinking of taking a closer look.

Despite knowing it is not a real date, Buffy does feel better. She really enjoys the normalcy of getting ready for a date. Best of all Willow helps her just like she used to in Sunnydale. For a brief time they are as they were. Neither is willing to break the spell by trying to address their current issues. It gives Buffy reassurance that everything will be ok.

Clark surprises Buffy but suggesting they walk to the restaurant, as it is only a few blocks away. "I hope you don't mind walking. It is just I have been stuck behind my desk all day and would love to stretch my legs. Besides it will give us more time to talk." he explains. Inside Clark is proud of himself for finding a perfectly logical reason to give him more time to pry information out of her.

"It is a nice night. Why not." Buffy replies glad she went with her practical and comfortable boots over super sexy high heels. Willow eased her bruised ego by pointing out he might prefer the girl next door type versus the sex pot she was portraying earlier. Her outfit is attractive but still allows her full motion should she need to fight. If he tries something he will find himself in one hell of a fight. She even brought the green rock in its special box just in case.

As they are walking, Buffy's enhanced senses track everything going on around her so she notices the young boy chase his ball right into the path of an on coming car. Just as it seems the car will hit the boy, there is a whoosh of wind and the boy is back on the curb with ball in hand. A very confused but grateful mother hugs him tightly while begging him to never do that again. Only Buffy noticed Clark move and even she couldn't follow everything he did in a fraction of a second. However, she has no doubt he saved the child. "_What kind of alien invader saves a human child?" _she ponders.

Clark can't believe he just risked everything just then, but what choice did he have? His secret is not worth the life of a child. Fortunately, no one seems to have noticed particularly his date.

Buffy chuckles to herself when she sees the tiny little neighborhood restaurant he takes her too. It is a just a little hole in the wall. The food is simple, but good and there is plenty. Since this isn't a real date she has no problem indulging so she is actually full by the end of the meal.

Their conversation surprises her. Clark is more open and honest than she expected him to be. She does notice gaps and dodges but she also notices guilt in his eyes whenever he does. Having lived with a few secrets of her own, she find herself sympathizing with him.

Clark doesn't know what happened. He has let himself get completely distracted by small talk. He finds himself telling her more about his life than he had planned. He is impressed by her appetite. It is strangely attractive to meet a woman who is confident enough to do as she wishes. Lana used to eat like a bird.

After diner Clark suggests they go to a place he knows nearby where they can see the stars in spite of the lights of the city. As he maneuvers them down some side alleys, Buffy's defense come up. Sure enough they are being in circled. She should have known better than to give him the benefit of the doubt. Clearly he was just setting her up. Gripping the box containing the rock, she gets ready to make her move. As the support thugs step from the shadows, she puts the rock in Clark's pocket which causes him to drop to the ground in pain. She then launches herself over him and into one goon. The goon is so surprised he doesn't even bring his gun to bear before her kick slams into the brick wall. Unconscious he slides to the ground. The other goons are trying to recover control but she does let them. She spins in close to two others and power punches each in the chest sending them flying back into the street. The last goon she disarms by breaking his arm in three places. She used to show humans more mercy but life has forced her to admit there are just as many human monsters as there are pretending to be human.

"Your boss. Who!" she demands as she twists his broken arm causing him to scream. She keeps checking Clark but the rock has put him down and kept him down.

"We just wanted your wallets and stuff. I swear!" the goon babbles in reply.

Having calmed down a bit from the fight, Buffy takes in little details. This guys clothes are old and soiled. His friends were dressed similarly. There is no indication of any training in the way they fought. As far as she can determine, they were just muggers. "_Damn I just totally blew my cover!" _"You will go to the nearest Police Station and confess your sins. If you don't I will know and I will come for you." she threatens.

Swearing to do as he was told, the goon gathers his wounded friends and they take off down the street. Buffy doesn't care if the really go to the Police Station as she is sure they will be reconsidering their career choice.

Turning to Clark, she bends to examine him. He is clearly in pain. In fact, he looks like he is dying. She had hoped to question him, but he has blacked out. Tapping the rune drawn to look like a tattoo on her shoulder while she speaks the activation phrase, she is put in mental contact with Xander. "The evening went to hell. Need a pickup and containment team." she sends.

Moments later a portal opens and a slayer team appear. The chain Clark up with chains magically reinforced and carry him back through the portal. Buffy stands a bit away with the rock but she doesn't put back in its box.

As she exits the portal she is pleased to see it is Willow running the magic show. Not only is Will the most powerful witch they have but is good to know her friend is here for her as Willow wasn't part of the original team for this op.

Xander studies the unconscious and chained Clark before he quips "Another one."

Confused by his remark Buffy inquires "What?"

Looking at her with mischievous smile, he answers "Another poor fellow falls to the charms of Buffy Summers."

Buffy starts to retort but Will's muffled laugh cuts her off so she resorts to her "I will kill you later" look but softens it with a grin of her own. A suddenly thought pops into her head which brings an evil grin to her face as she quips "Hey the dating world is tough. A girl does what she has too."

The three friends share a light warming laugh which reminds them all of more innocent times before they turn their attention back to their guest.

Clark wakes to the painful throbbing of his head. _"Nothing like a Kryptonite hangover to start the day off right."_ He is surprised to find he is bound with his hand behind his back in thick chains. He is even more surprised to find he can't break these chains even though he doesn't feel any kryptonite nearby. The chains on his feet allow him to stand and shuffle about but not to move his legs very far apart. He notices a young woman look in through the window of his cell which looks a lot like Lex's old wine cellar. "Hey you can't hold me here. I haven't done anything." he shouts more for the point of it than expecting any sort of real response.

Alexandria knocks politely on the door frame before entering the room where Xander, Willow and Buffy are discussing what to do about their guest. "He is awake." she tells them.

"Give him some food and water but don't unchain him. Remember no matter how handsome he is, he has probably killed dozens of people." Buffy orders even though Xander is technical the leader. The simple fact that she took charge shows everyone just how concerned about this situation she is.

Before they can get back to their discussion, Willow's cell phone rings. The smile on her lips when she sees the number tells Buffy who is calling. "Why don't you take it? We aren't making any progress on what to do anyway." Buffy says trying to be as encouraging as possible.

Eagerly nodding, Willow opens the phone as she exits the room. She stops in her tracks as Chloe asks if she knows Buffy, and if she has seen her today. Admitting she has, she nearly drops the phone when Chloe then asks if Buffy has seen Clark since last night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Huh, let me go find her so I can ask her. I will call you back as soon as I track her down." Willow lies, while doing her best to suppress her guilt for the lie. Hanging up the phone, she turns to Buffy and says "We have a problem. Chloe knows Clark and she is looking for him. I just lied to her to buy us time to figure out what to do. I can't believe she would be friends with anyone evil." Her friends can see the fear of losing her girlfriend just behind her eyes.

"Hey, I bet he is part of the team she works with. The heroes who protect Metropolis." Xander suggests.

"That makes sense. She never told me names but someone with Clark's abilities would be a huge help." Willow says.

"It fits with him saving the little boy yesterday." Buffy says smacking herself on her forehead. "Great another royal Summers screw up." Buffy quips while venting her frustration on the poor now broken antique side table.

"Hey it is ok. We made a decision based on the information we had on hand. We all made this decision. He could still be a threat. Here is the plan. Will, call Chloe back and ask her to meet you. Explain that Buffy grabbed Clark thinking he was the demon responsible for all the deaths in Metropolis recently. Get conformation he is one of the good guys. I trust your judgment. Buffy, you and I will go talk to Clark. If we all agree he is one of the good guys, we let him go and do some heavy apologizing. Agreed?" Xander suggests. Willow and Buffy are impressed at how much he has changed from high school. He is so confident these days. He had become an exceptional leader.

"Yes sir." Buffy and Willow quip together, with mock salutes and a giggle.

Without missing a beat, Xander salutes back as he replies "Go team Buffy."

All the friends share another light laugh. "_Maybe coming back to the states wasn't such a bad idea, after all we haven't had this much fun around each other in far too long. A movie night is definitely in order._" Buffy thinks.

"Chloe, can you meet me at the Talon? I have news about Clark. He is ok. The details I don't want to discuss over the phone." Willow says into her phone.

"If I leave now, I can be there in two hours." Chloe replies. While she is relieved to hear Clark is ok, she is concerned that Willow wants to see her. Face to face is rarely good news. Although Chloe realizes, Buffy may have discovered Clark's secret and Willow doesn't know if Chloe knows. Smiling convinced that her girlfriend is only thinking of her feelings Chloe practically skips over to the elevators and heads for the parking garage. It is nice that someone is putting her feelings first for a change.

Chloe finds a very nervous Willow waiting for her. Willow is so cute when she is nervous. "Hi." Chloe says as she leans over to give Willow a light peck on the lips. Sitting at Willow's table in the mostly deserted Talon, she asks as calmly as she can "So what is going on?"

"Buffy grabbed Clark thinking he was the demon responsible for all the deaths in Smallville. She thinks he killed Davis and Jimmy." she whispers while holding her girlfriend's hand.

Tears well up in Chloe's eyes as her past mistakes once again throw a monkey wrench in her life. "Clark didn't kill either. Davis killed Jimmy and Jimmy killed Davis before he could kill me." she just manages to get out before collapsing into a sobbing mess.

Willow's heartbreaks to see Chloe in so much pain. Chloe had told her that Jimmy had died, but the fact Chloe never shared the how made Willow assume Chloe didn't know. Now she understands why Chloe didn't share the details. Wrapping her arms around Chloe, she whispers "Sssh it will be ok baby. It will." She strokes Chloe's hair trying to give Chloe all the comfort she can.

After a few minutes, Chloe manages to collect herself. She didn't expect bringing up those memories to hurt so much. She thought she had dealt with all the pain. Clearly, she was wrong. She is so grateful to have Willow's arms around her. She can feel love radiating off her lover. It helps reclose the old wounds. "I need to speak with Buffy, so we can clear this up." Chloe says once again in control of herself.

"Sure." Willow replies. Her poor baby has been through so much just like her. She wonders if Tara guided Chloe to her knowing they could help each other. She smiles at the thought of Tara looking out for her. She is pleased it doesn't hurt so much any more.

It is a short drive to the manor. They don't talk on the way but just hold hands and enjoy their special silence.

Meanwhile in the Manor's cellar:

Clark can hear two people approaching. One moves quietly like the girls guarding him. He catches a whiff of perfume which he remembers Buffy was wearing last night. The other footsteps sound relaxed and the smell of aftershave indicates the other person is male. The door opens and Buffy and a twenty something man with an eye patch walk in.

"Sorry about this Clark. I had hoped not to do things this way. I thought the mugging was an ambush. Still, I need to know you are not a threat. You always seem to be where a lot of people end up dead. Care to explain that?" Buffy asks while her companion just leans against the wall watching him.

Shrugging in his chains, Clark does something unusual for him and he tells her the simple truth. "As you noticed I am different. I have abilities others don't. My father taught me that power comes with responsibility ,so I do what I can to help people. I am not a god so I make mistakes just like everyone. However, when I make a mistake people all too often die because of it. Just a few months ago, I ruined the lives of all my friends with a mistake I made. There was a man with power like mine. He hurt and killed people. I had the power to stop him, but I refused to kill him. Because of that decision, my best friend lost her husband. I hurt everyone I knew trying to save the life of a monster. In the end, I was forced to destroy him anyway. If I had just done that in the first place so many people wouldn't have had to suffer. All my efforts were for nothing. It was then that I gave up. How could I be a hero if I couldn't do what was necessary?" Clark finds himself sobbing as long repressed tears force their way out.

Buffy's heart nearly breaks as she sees the pain just pour out of Clark. She totally understands what he is going through. She kneels next to him and hugs him which surprises both of them. "I am sorry for your pain, Clark. The fact you ask the question means you are worthy of being a hero. My friends and family have suffered and died because of my mistakes as well but you can't give up. It is not our power that makes us heroes but our hearts." She then finds herself just holding him while he sobs himself out. There is no longer any doubt in her heart about him. Only a fellow hero could be in this much pain. She never notices Xander slipping out of the room.

"Buffy, I am back with Chloe." Willow announces as she guides Chloe into their war room. Only Xander is in there and he is watching Buffy hug a crying Clark on the monitor.

Xander without facing them, he says "Don't worry Chloe. We are convinced he is one of the good guys. Buffy will unchain him once he is done. Sorry for the confusion. We'd rather screw up by overacting than risk giving a monster more time to kill. It doesn't make it right though so again sorry."

Chloe doesn't even register Xander's apology because she is so happy to see Clark finally letting it all out. She sees a look of concern on Willow's face which is when she realizes tears are running down her own checks. "It is ok. I am just so happy I might be able to get my best friend back. Clark is always too hard on himself. He isn't responsible for the whole world." she explains.

Xander and Willow share a look which makes it clear they understand what she is saying. Buffy takes far too much responsibility for things beyond her control. Willow embraces Chloe while Xander mimes using a video camera. Both girls stick out their tongues at him and healing laughter ensues. When they turn back to the monitor, they see something very surprising.

It is only a few minutes but it feels a lifetime later when Clark finally stops crying. He can't believe he just broke down in front of a stranger, who is holding him prisoner. Still, her arms around him bring a warmth to his soul he hadn't realized he was missing. When she releases the chains, his arms wind around her almost all on their own. His eyes meet hers and he can see she understands everything. Not even Chloe, who knows the most about him truly understands, but somehow Buffy does. Unable to stop himself and not really wanting to he leans down to kiss her.

Buffy looks up at Clark as he stands. She doesn't even hear the jangle of the chains as they hit the floor for she is lost in his amazing eyes. His eyes call to her. When she notices him leaning down, she finds her self lifting up on her toes. Her lips eager to meet his.

Their lips collide as the world explodes around them. Softly at first but then with more urgency they kiss. Buffy pulls back first. Her defenses slamming into place. "You are free to go." she says as she stalks out of his makeshift cell. Once safely out of sight around the corner, she runs as fast as she can to the roof. There she gulps air like a drowning man. Her heart pounds in her chest as it screams in chorus with the rest of her body to run back downstairs to him. She can't though. What she has with Xander is the most she can ever hope for. Anything else will only end badly.

Clark stands stupidly staring at the empty space that just moments ago contained Buffy. His lips still tingle from their contact with hers. His body stirring with need. What is it about her that pulls at him so? Yesterday he thought he was in love with Lois but kissing Buffy just felt so right. "What should I do?" he tries to figure out.

Confused by Buffy making out with the prisoner and then letting him go, the slayers on guard duty stand in the hall waiting for him to leave. Buffy may have told him he was free to go but she didn't forbid them following him out. Their guest just stands stupidly in his cell touching his lips with his finger tips. Can she really be that good a kisser that he wants to stay in his cell? They wonder.

Chloe, Willow, and Xander stand speechless as they watch Clark and Buffy make out on the monitor. None of them expected that. Xander recovers first despite a twinge of pain, so he says "Way to go Buffster!" Willow looks back at Xander. Her eyes questing to see if his remark is a lie to cover his pain, but he shakes his head to let her know he is really ok with this. Buffy deserves some happiness where ever she can find it.

Chloe is just speechless. Clark has never been this impulsive before unless he was on red K. For a moment, she worries he is under its influence, but then she sees them break apart and the worried, confused and totally clueless Clark is back. "The poor idiot." she thinks as she shakes her head. "I think I should go talk to Clark. Is that ok?"

"Sure. It is probably best if you speak to him one on one, so I will go talk to Buffy." Willow replies.

"It will be better if I do." Xander tells Willow who merely nods in agreement.

On the roof, Buffy turns to the stairwell when she hears someone approaching. She had hoped it was Willow. As awkward as things are between them, she could really use her advice. When Xander emerges, a new set of panic engulfs her. "Oh god." He watched me making out with Clark. I am such a bitch." she rails in her mind. "Xander, I am so sorry. It just happened." She tries to explain even though she doesn't understand herself.

"Buffy, it is ok. Really. I will always love you and I know you love me, but we will never be in love together. I am not hurt. I am glad actually. You and Clark seemed to click. After all you have so much in common. Neither of you is "human", you both carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you both torment yourselves over things you can't control. Besides as Dawn would say "he is totally hot""

His smirk and grin reassures her they are ok and even drags a ragged in laugh from her. She can see Dawn totally flipping out for Clark. The boy is ripped. "Thanks Xander." she says as she hugs him. What they have/had has kept her going and she will always be in his debt for that.

In her office in Metropolis, Tess slams her notebook on her desk sending papers flying. The images of Buffy kissing Clark frozen on the now broken screen taunt her. She brought that little tramp to Smallville to kill, not make out with, Clark. Her plans rapidly disintegrating, she struggles to find a solution.

A hand on her shoulder brings some comfort and she titles her head to let it rest on the hand. "Patience my dear. This is but one small setback. We have the Slayer DNA and the project is progressing nicely. Their aid in killing Clark would have only robbed me of the pleasure. Remember, we intended them as only a distraction for Mr. Kent and that part is working out nicely. Have no fear. I will bring Lex back to you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hey." Chloe says, trying to break Clark out of his internal struggle. She is not surprised at all that his encounter with Buffy has blown his mind. He has bottled stuff up so long it was bound to break out of him sometime. Admittingly, she didn't think he would start making out with the girl who kicked his ass and locked him up. Crushing the flare of jealousy and resentment that tries to rear its head, Chloe focuses on helping her friend. She touches his shoulder only to have him flinch away. "Clark, its ok" she assures him.

"How can it ever be Chloe? I ruined everything. I should have listened to Oliver and done what I had to, what I ended up doing anyway. If Jimmy." he tries to say but her finger on his mouth stops him.

"We are all responsible for what happened. It is not all your fault. I made mistakes too. So did Oliver. All we can do is learn from them and do better next time." she states.

"People died because of me!!" Clark practically shouts.

Feed up with his self pity routine, she slaps him as hard as she can. She is proud she doesn't ruin the effect by screaming from the pain in her hand. She doubts she broke it, but it sure feels like it. "Knock it off!!" she orders. "I am so sick of you heroes pretending you are so important that the world revolves around you. Everything is because of you. Reality check: its not. We all play a part. We all make choices. Grow up." she chides.

Speechless Clark stands there mulling what she said. "_She doesn't understand. She can't_." he thinks to himself trying to sink back into his well of guilt, but there is too much truth for him too. Clark sags down to the floor of his cell and puts his head in his hands. "I just don't know what to do. Ever time I think I figure it out, I end up being wrong." he moans.

Sitting next to him, Chloe replies "Clark that is life. Things are always changing. You have to (thinks for a minute) embrace the moments of happiness you get. Don't waste them. Now stop sulking and go find Buffy. Take her out on the town" She adds with mischief in her voice. "or take her back to the farm and show her the hayloft." She knows all about his encounter with Lana in that hayloft. As hard as it was to listen to Lana describe it, it did sound nice.

Turing red, Clark tries to come up with an argument why he can't, but even he can't find one. "Ok." Clark agrees, then blushes again before clarifying "Dinner would be nice."

Chloe's laughs as she guides Clark out of the cell and up to the control room. Clark is still so wrapped up internally that he doesn't notice the two slayers who were outside the cell following them, but Chloe does. She doesn't say anything though. They have a right to be concerned about their friends. She does feel the need to acknowledge them so she looks back and nods. The two slayers exchange a look then nod back. Willow always has good taste they think in unison.

The slayers stop at the door to the commander center but take up positions by the door. Chloe only finds Willow in the room. "Xander still talking to Buffy?" Chloe asks.

"Yep, but I think they will be done soon. Neither is a chatterbox you know." Willow replies. "Hi Clark, I am Willow Chloe's girlfriend." she says to Clark as she extends a hand. Too late she sees the look of "oh shit" on Chloe's face.

Confused Clark turns to Chloe. Chloe having a mini panic attack blurts out "I would have told you but it I am. Well I am still, It took me a while to, I only told Oliver because Lois wasn't around." She sees the shock and pain and then acceptance of her confiding in Oliver cross his face.

"It just caught me off guard. I didn't know you were seeing anyone since" he stops himself before he says Jimmy but she hears it anyway.

"Since Jimmy. I know. I didn't expect this. You know I have never been interested in a girl before" She saysmoving over to Willow, who is looking a bit like a deer in headlights and intertwines her fingers. "but Willow is special. I really like her. I think I might even be falling in love with her." Chloe says and then looks to Willow as they haven't used the L word with each other yet.

Willow squeezes her hand to reassure her ,as she gives Chloe a smile that melts her heart and her knees. "Don't worry Clark. I will do everything in my power to not hurt her. She is very special to me too." Willow declares then kisses Chloe endearingly on the check.

Now it is Chloe's turn to blush as Willow lips on her always set her on fire. Controlling the urge to drag Willow to the nearest bed, she focuses back on Clark. "Are we ok?" she asks.

To which he answers "No we aren't, but that is my fault. I walked away from you. It is my fault I wasn't there for you like you have always been for me. I am so sorry for that Chloe. I promise I will be a better friend or she can turn me into a toad." Clark walks over to his friend and her friend and hugs them both at once.

"I suggested a cat, so we could still keep you in the house" Chloe snarks letting him know that they are ok.

"Hug fest and no one invited me?" Xander quips as he comes back down from the roof. Seeing Clark looking nervously at him and then the stairs, he adds "She is on the roof so go get her big guy. Remember though I have an army to hunt you down if you hurt her."

"That is the last thing I want." Clark says solemnly as he then zips up the stairs.

"Wow is he serious. I thought Buffy was all business." Xander remarks.

On the roof, Clark finds Buffy staring out over the grounds. She has her arms tight against herself and his super sight can see tracks of where tears just were on her checks. "Buffy?" he asks nervously.

She turns to face him. At first she keeps her eyes cast down but when she raises them he loses himself again for a moment. She is so like him. She forces on a smile just like he does before she says "Hi Clark. I guess we should talk."

"I was hoping we could do that over diner?" he asks feeling like he is back in high school all over again.

Genuinely smilingly she replies "I would like that." She offers her hand which he comes over and takes. They then spend the next hour just watching the horizon holding hands.

After agreeing to pick her up at 7pm, Clark heads back to the farm. For the first time in a long time he is excited about what tonight may bring him. He tries to keep his thoughts pure but the memory of Buffy's lips on his is worse than any Red Kryptonite. Several cold showers later he thinks he can make it through diner without losing his mind. After all he hopes to avoid all his past relationship mistakes this time.

Buffy and Willow are joking and chatting like old friends as they get Buffy ready for her date with Clark. Buffy is glad to have Chloe there too as she not only relaxes Willow with her presence, but knows what Clark likes. Chloe surprises her by suggesting an outfit, saying she knows how turned on Clark is by red and blue. Blushing Buffy doesn't even try to respond. It has been a long slow year, so if Clark is even remotely willing she is going to jump him. While she likes him and hopes for more, but the reality of her life reminds her tonight is all she is likely to get so she has to make the most of it. Several times hopefully.

7 PM comes and goes. So does 7:15PM. Buffy paces in the main entrance way while all the slayers pretend not to be spying on her. Will she get stood up? The pool betting yes is growing the more time passes. Chloe tries to reassure her that there must have been some sort of disaster. Turning on the news they see no breaking news reports but Clark may just be dealing with a mugging. When 7:30PM rolls around Chloe calls his cell but it goes to voicemail. Now Chloe is becoming concerned. Clark wouldn't just stand anyone up. He would at least call. "_Expect he disappeared on you dozens of times without a word even after you knew his secret." _an annoying voice in the back of her mind points out.

Buffy is trying really hard not to freak out but she is learning she is more fragile than she ever wants to admit. "_It is just one stupid date. Chloe is right. He must be off saving someone. How many times have I lost my phone?"_ she tells herself but it still hurts not to know.

At 8:00 PM a truck drives up the driveway but it is not Clark's beat up pickup. It is a delivery truck. A man brings out a huge bunch of flowers from the back and then approaches the front door. Willow answers and takes the flowers. She hands Buffy the card as it is addressed to her. Hands shaking Buffy opens the card. "Please, please forgive me. Something came up. Can I have a rain check, Clark" is neatly typed on it. Buffy starts forgive but then she sees Chloe's reaction.

Chloe joins Willow in looking over Buffy's shoulder as she reads the card. It is impressive that Clark thought to send flowers and she has to squash another flare of jealousy at the special treatment he is showing Buffy. She then reads the card and it hits her. These aren't from Clark. The word choice is all wrong. Also, Clark would never send a typed note. He always hand wrote anything he sent to Lana or Lois. Trusting her instincts, she grabs Buffy's flowers, vase and all, opens the door, runs over to the well and throws them down. 30 seconds go by, then another minute. Just as she is preparing to apologize to Buffy a pillar of flame roars out of the well announcing that Chloe was right. "Clark is in trouble." she declares.

"First real date in years. Whoever did this is so dead." Buffy swears.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Clark is actually whistling as he exits the farmhouse having finally settled on a nice but not too dressy outfit for tonight. He hopes he matches her as he forgot to tell her how to dress. To be honest he hasn't even figured out where to take her but he decided to just see where they end up. His checks heat again as he remembers Chloe's suggestion. His revelry is interrupted when he sees an all too familiar limo approaching the farm. How Tess knew he was here he will have to investigate. "I am on my way out so I don't have much time. What do you want?" he demands as Tess steps from her limo not waiting for her driver to open the door for her.

"Just Lex." she replies as she opens a lead box she is holding.

Clark feels the effects immediately. He tries to run but his legs fail him. Still he crawls across the ground trying to get far enough away. Tess doesn't give him a chance. She walks up to him and places the rock on his chest. As Clark wreathes in agony she says "Looks like you will miss your big date tonight." and then injects him with something which causes him to blackout.

He wakes to find himself chained for the second time in a week. These chains are laced with kryptonite and burn his skin where they touch him. A table covered with instruments stands ominously just out of his reach.

**Elsewhere**

"This was not part of the plan. I told you I would deal with him when I was ready. Now you have just alerted them. This was foolish." he scolds her.

"I saw an opportunity and I took it. All you have done so far is talk. I acted." she fires back.

While he admires her fire, he will not tolerate disrespect or disobedience so he slaps her lightly across the face sending her flying into a bookcase across the room. He is tempted to kill her but she is still useful. She knows this world and has power in it. As long as she believes his fairytale she has no choice but to obey. Satisfied with his reminder of who is lord and master here, he returns to the lab to check the progress of her scientists.

Tess drags herself from the ruins of the bookcase. Her arm is definitely broken and her face will be black and blue for days but she won't let this stop her. She still needs him even if it is not in the way he thinks. Lex would never leave his company to a fool. She knows better than to take his words at face value but he does have knowledge. She is certain once she has that she can deal with him and get her Lex back. Her attention is drawn back the door as he re-enters.

"I have a plan on how to use your recklessness to our advantage." he tells her. He is pleased to see she is not still on the ground or crying. Perhaps not all humans are worthless. Certainly not equals but some may make useful pets.

Clark prepares himself as he sees his cell door open. Tess enters with her arm in a makeshift sling and her face a mass of purple. Despite hating her, he x-rays her arm and can see it is broken in two places.

"Clark, I am sorry for grabbing you. I assumed it was you that had been attacking Lex Corp. I learned the hard way just a few minutes ago that it is not you. Something Lex made is loose. It was once a man but now it is just a killing machine. It is tearing this facility apart. You have to stop it." Tess explains as she releases his chains.

"Why should I?" he tersely replies. His body practically vibrating with all the tension of restraining his anger.

"Because you are a hero. I should've remembered that. I should've talked to you but you are so powerful I was afraid to risk it. I knew I had to strike first if it was you. I am sorry. I am not like you. Lex twisted me but I am trying." she elaborates. Her pleading eyes playing on his weakness for giving people the benefit of the doubt.

"Where." is all Clark can say. Tess leads him through several hallways but it is easy to hear where Lex's monster is. The screams and sounds of destruction make it easy for Clark to find it. Tess stops just outside a ruined set of doors and points inside. "_Zod has gone all out. He will pay soon for killing my people for his test." _she promises silently.

Inside the room is a man with machinery and crystals jutting from his body. When he senses Clark's presence, it turns and charges. Clark still a bit weak just dodges the creature's attack. He joins his hands and slams the thing in the back. It doesn't go down but it does howl in pain. Turning back to Clark, it tries to grab him but Clark catches its hands. It is strong but not as strong as he is. Slowly, he forces it to its knees. He then drives his knee into its face several times until it finally collapses. Breathing hard, Clark takes the extra precaution of using some steel beams to tie it up. _"If Tess expected me to kill it, she picked the wrong guy. I don't know what Lex did to this poor guy but maybe it cane be undone."_ Clark thinks.

"Ever the hero. You even save the monsters." Tess remarks knowing all too well how Clark failed with Doomsday. She smiles at the guilt that she catches in his eyes. "I will have our best people get to work figuring out what was done to this poor man." she promises.

Clark doesn't really believe her but he doesn't know what to do with the creature either. Suddenly an idea strikes him. "That's ok. I think I know someone who might be able to help." He replies as he picks up the creature by its bonds. He then super speeds away.

"Interesting. He is so weak. Jor-El was not." he comments after Clark has left.

"He has the creature. Won't he be able to learn about you from studying it?" Tess remarks clearly concerned that everything is unraveling. She doesn't like this plan as it has holes but she can't afford to direct oppose his will.

"Oh that won't be a problem." He says with a smile. He takes out a small crystal which he rubs his thumb over turning it red. In the distance an explosion is heard.

Chloe and Willow tore through the internet tracing who sent the flowers. It was no surprise that they flowers came from a Lex Corp account but what was surprising is that they didn't come from Tess' account but from one Alexander Luthien. This left Chloe stunned because that was one of Lex's aliases. "_How can that be? Oliver killed Lex."_ she wonders.

Meanwhile, Buffy paced behind them muttering to herself about all the truly evil things she was going to do to whoever messed up her evening. It would be cute and funny if Willow and Chloe weren't afraid she more than a little serious.

"I think I have something." Chloe announces lifting her eyes from her laptop.

"That you do, baby." Willow teases causing Chloe to blush.

Before Chloe can reply, Buffy interjects "What? Who do I get to hit?"

"There is a Lex Corp facility located here." Chloe starts to explain when they hear a loud boom. It sounds distant. Switching to a satellite feed, Chloe traces the source of the sound. A massive crater is all that the satellite can see. News reports are confused and scattered as everyone scrambles to figure out what a happened.

"Willow, we have to check this out now. Teams 3 and 5 assemble!" Buffy shouts. Slayers run grabbing gear and weapons. In moments the two teams are ready to go. "Portal, Will" Buffy orders. As soon as it opens, Buffy dives through followed by the teams and then Chloe and Willow.

Appearing at one edge of the crater, Buffy sends the teams scouting. She can see the lights of approaching fire and police vehicles as well as two news copters overhead but doesn't care. Something tells her, Clark was here. Sliding down the side, she makes her way to the center. There she finds him. He is imbedded in the earth like the force of the explosion drove him down into the ground. He is unconscious and hurt but he has a pulse. "I found Clark." She shouts. Chloe and Willow join her at the bottom of the crater.

"Buffy, we should get him and get out of here. Police and Fire will be here any second. We can't afford to be any more exposed." Willow reminds her.

Nodding Buffy picks up Clark as the teams regroup. Willow then reopens the portal and they disappear just before the first vehicle pulls up.

Back at the mansion, they rush Clark into the slayer's infirmary. Chloe has seen Clark endure a lot over the years but he is still unresponsive. "It must be the crystal embedded in his skin. It doesn't look like Kryptonite but it must have similar properties." she explains.

"No problem." Willow says as she casts a spell. To her surprise nothing happens. The crystal shards are still there even though the spell she cast should have removed them. Confused, she tries a different spell but again the crystals don't react. "I am not sure what is going on but the crystal seems to resist my magic." she tells Chloe.

"Old fashion way it is then." Buffy volunteers as she grabs a large crystal shard and pulls it free. Clark's wound close shortly after the shard is removed. Convinced this is the right course of action, she gets to work removing all the large shards and then takes tweezes to get the smaller ones. Several hours later she thinks she has removed them all. Clark's color is better and he is breathing easier. He hasn't woken up yet but they are fairly certain is just sleeping and not in a comma.

Clark wakes slowly with a major headache. He is sorer than he has been since that time he lost his powers. It takes him a minute to remember what happened. Lex's creation blew up in his arms. "Oh god. Was anyone killed?" is Clark's first thought. Looking around he is on a soft king sized bed and there is a faint nose to his left. Turning his head he sees Buffy wedged between two chairs snoring softly. She looks like an Angel. Without thinking, he slips out of bed and over to her. He kneels next to her lost in the wonder of watching her sleep. His moment is ruined when the door behind him on the far side of the room opens.

Chloe walks in announcing "Shift change." She bares coffee and some sort of pastry that the smell of makes Clark's stomach growl. He turns to Chloe who stops, drops her coffee, and covers her eyes. "Glad to see you are up and about Clark but could you put some pants on?" she quips.

Realizing for the first time he is naked, Clark zips back into the bed. He is turning red and turns even more red when Buffy quips "Nice butt."

Chloe laughs at his embarrassment and can't resist adding "Wait till you see the front. I think he was very glad to see you."

"I, It just" Clark tries to stammer over their laughter. Chloe kneels to pick up her dropped gifts.

While she is cleaning up that mess, Buffy moves over to the bed and sits next to Clark who has pulled the covers almost over his head in his embarrassment. "Hey, glad to see you are ok." and she kisses him on the forehead.

"Good to see you too. Sorry about last night." Clark says. They get lost in each others eyes for a moment before a polite cough from Chloe brings them out of it.

"What happened?" Chloe asks. She thought about just leaving them alone for a bit but lives may be at stake.

"Tess grabbed me thinking I was the one attacking Lex Corp facilities. She apologized and let me go when another of Lex's monsters showed up. Lex had implanted both human and I think Kryptonian technology in this poor guy. I then fought and captured Lex's poor victim. I was bringing him back here to see if your group might be able to help when he exploded." Clark explains.

"Hmm. Someone sent Buffy flowers from you with a bomb. You don't think Lex is still alive?" Chloe poses.

"With Lex it is impossible to rule anything out." Clark replies.

"Clark glad to see you are wake but what are you doing with my girlfriend and my best friend in bed with you." Willow teases as she enters the room. Clark turns red once more which causes the girls to all laugh.

"Don't worry not even Clark can steal me from you." Chloe flirts back. She offers her hand as Willow comes over and joins them on the bed.

"While I am sure Bart would call me crazy but I would appreciate it if all you ladies would get off my bed and give me a few minutes to get cleaned up and dressed. Buffy, would you like to get some breakfast? I know I still owe you diner but I thought this would be a good down payment." Clark states.

"That would be nice but I have a ton of things to do. There is training, and" Buffy says truly disappointed she has so much to do.

"All of which can be handled by someone else. Go have breakfast." Willow cuts in.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Clark promised breakfast, Buffy expected to go to a diner. She certainly didn't expect him to super speed them to his house in Smallville and start preparing a huge breakfast. He makes scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, home fires, and 3 kinds of pancakes. Luckily her Slayer metabolism is more than up to the challenge of eating it all. In fact, she laughs at his raised eyebrow as he watches her consume nearly as much as he does. "So straight back to your place. You are a fast worker." she quips and then laughs again as he blushes and stammers how that is not his intent. He swears he only wanted to cook for her. "That's too bad." she adds in a husky voice turning poor Clark even redder. "Relax; I am just giving you a hard time. Still, I should thank you." She gets up and moves in front of a now very nervous Clark and kisses him softly on his lips. Her tongue runs along the outside of his lips before forcing its way into his mouth to meet his. Her next kisses work their way along his jaw bone and to his ear which she nibbles lightly on at first but then nips. The hammering of his heart tells her she is having the effect she wished too. "Thanks." she purrs as she steps back. He nearly grabs her but then stops himself. "_This boy is totally clueless. It will be fun to teach him a few things_."

**Back at the Mansion**

There is no doubt in Chloe's mind that Willow is witch. The things Willow is doing to her body are simply magical. Chloe has never felt so on fire, so alive. She grabs great handfuls of the sheets as her body arches up as it reaches its peak. Collapsing spent back onto the bed, she struggles to regain some semblance of her senses. Her body is overloaded from the intense pleasure.

The reaction Willow is getting from Chloe has a magic all of its own. She is so glad she took a chance on this relationship. Moving back up to Chloe's face, she kisses Chloe gently and then rests her head on Chloe's breasts. "Like that?" she asks. When Chloe can only nod as she is still struggling to recover her wits, Willow giggles. "I am glad but funs over now. Time to get back to the real world."

"Well, we should jump right in the shower then. I have to make sure my girl is clean after all." Chloe snarks with mischief and fire in her eyes.

Laughing playfully, Willow lets Chloe drag her into the bathroom. Reality can wait a bit longer for them.

**Elsewhere**

Tess sits uncomfortably on a metal stool in the corner as he lectures the scientists again. He is furious at how easily Clark defeated his super soldier and even angrier that Clark survived the explosion. Tess gets the distinct impression the he wouldn't have been able to himself. Another weakness noted her task now is to keep him from killing any more scientists. There are too few experts left for him to waste anymore. Tess is learning that despite all his knowledge and power, he is a small fear filled man. When they first met she was awed by him but now he is just another tool to help her reach her goal of restoring a true leader: Lex Luthor. Noticing he has finished his lecture, Tess hops up. The pain that shoots through her broken arm is intense but she keeps it off her face. She can't afford to have her senses dulled by pain meds so she endures. Pain is something you can get used to Lex taught her.

Frustrated at yet more failures and the resulting delays, he storms out of the room. He would love to strike down another of these fools but they are all he has so he can't waste them. If only he had been able to take a tech with him and not just his soldiers. They all had rudimentary knowledge of Kryptonian technology but not enough to explain it to these hairless apes. He hates being force to wait. He wants his victory now. Taking deep breathes he calms himself. He has hadn't made it this far only to let his impatience spoil everything. The son of Jor-El will kneel before him soon enough.

**Back at the Farm**

Clark has never met a woman as aggressive as Buffy. At least who wasn't under some sort of spell or meteor rock. He must admit it turns him on to be chased instead of doing the chasing. Also, it is nice to not have to play games with Buffy the way he had to with Lana. Buffy has made it perfectly clear she has no expectations but that is the problem. He does. He really likes Buffy. He doesn't want to ruin things by letting his hormones take over. Besides she is strong but he could still hurt her. No, more cold showers is the best way to go for now at least. He would like to ask Willow if there is some way to dampen his powers but he can't bring himself to discuss it with her. "_How do you say: Can you cast a spell so I can have sex with your best friend? It just doesn't work._" A sound catches his attention. "Excuse me." Clark says just before he prepares to super speed to Metropolis to investigate the alarm he is hearing. It sounds like an apartment building fire alarm.

Before he can, Buffy grabs his arm. "Let me help too." she says.

"I don't know. I can move so fast no one will be able to see me. How would you hide?" he asks while wisely not mentioning he is uncomfortable placing her in danger.

"I don't have to hide. I will just be a concerned citizen who ran to help. I have gotten very good at hiding my abilities in plain site. You should try it sometime." is her reply.

"Ok" Clark hears himself saying while his brain is still arguing with itself about what to do.

Seconds later they are in Metropolis at the site of a 5 story apartment building engulfed in flame. A woman is frantically screaming in Spanish while a firefighter drags her away from the building.

"She says he husband is still in there." Buffy translates for Clark while thankful for the amulet Willow made for each them that translate any language. It sure comes in handy in her line of work.

Using his x-ray vision Clark scans the building. He sees several figures which must be fire fighters on the first two floors but he sees others on the 3rd and 5th floors. There are two small people who must be children huddled next to a nonmoving person in a room at the back of the 3rd floor. There is only one person on the 5th floor so Clark assumes that must be the husband. "There are some kids and an adult on the 3rd floor and I think the husband is on the 5th." he tells Buffy.

"Ok, give me a boost to the roof. I will then take the guy on the 5th floor while you get the kids. That close to the roof, it will be easy for me to get him out. The people on the 3rd floor need you more." she orders.

Clark admires her confidence and logic. She is a born leader something he is most certainly not but needs to be. He nods and scoops her up. He super speeds around the side of the building then leaps to the roof. Setting Buffy down, he darts to the 3rd floor. There he finds the 2 kids huddled with their mother. It seems she is passed out drunk based on the smell and all the liquor bottles in the room. The kids are terrified so he says "Its ok I am here to get you out."

Coughing before she can speak the little girl says "Mommy won't wake up. We can't leave without Mommy."

"I can't carry you all at once but I promise I will come right back for her." Clark swears solemnly while making an x over his heart.

"If you swear." The little girl concedes.

Clark picks up the two kids and uses his super breather to blow out a section of the back wall. This gives him plenty of room to jump out safely with the kids. He zips them around front and drops them next to a parked ambulance. A few seconds later he is back with their mother. Concerned he turns to see how Buffy is doing but she is already scaling the fire escape with the husband over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. Suddenly a section of the building explodes causing the fire escape to rip free. Fear freezes Clark in places as he watches in slow motion as Buffy is thrown from the fire escape. By the time he has overcome his shock, she is already falling towards the pavement with the husband still on her shoulder. Clark starts to move forward but stops when he sees Buffy reach out and grab a flag pole she is falling past, flips onto a nearby fire truck ladder, and slide safely to the ground. She hands the husband over to a fire fighter who is standing at the base of the ladder staring in shock at her. "I use to take gymnastics." Buffy quips. The wife is expressing her thanks in Spanish to which Buffy just replies in Spanish "No sweat. Glad to help."

Clark is amazed at how well she works the crowd. People are clapping for her and some even cheered when she slid down the ladder. Clark has always wondered what the spotlight would be like. While he knows the importance of staying in the shadows, he does wish he could get a little attention for his efforts. Shaking away such a selfish thought, Clark walks over to Buffy. "I was really worried there for a second. Sorry, I didn't react fast enough to catch you."

"Clark, I don't need you to catch me all the time. I am a big girl. I can take care of myself. It's nice to know you care though." she says as she then pecks him lightly on the cheek.

When she starts to pull away, Clark grabs her wrist. Their eyes meet and for a moment there is only the two of them. The world falls away. Sadly, before Clark can lean in and kiss her an explosion drags them back to reality. Turning they see part of the building is collapsing. The Fire Chief is frantically calling to his people to get out. Clark super speeds back into the building. He sees several firefighters trapped in flaming fallen debris and the main support beam is cracked nearly in half. That beam will fall any second if Clark doesn't do something quick. He grabs the beam and forces back up but he is unable to help the fire fighters dig out of the rubble. Buffy runs in with a wet scarf wrapped around her face to help filter the smoke. She throws some of the debris out of the way freeing two firefighters but a third is trapped under a section of concrete too heavy for her to move. "Clark, we need to switch places. I should be able to hold that beam together long enough for you to get that last guy out."

"Are you sure?" Clark asks concerned.

"We don't have time to discuss this. Go help him." Buffy instructs as she takes over holding up the beam. It is heavy but she manages to hold it up just barely. "Hurry." she declares.

Clark grabs the section of concrete wall and lifts it off the injured fire fighter. He then super speeds the man outside to the paramedics. In the seconds this takes the building's remaining integrity fails and the rest of the building collapses. Clark's heart stops when Buffy doesn't emerge. Racing back inside, Clark finds Buffy pinned by debris. Freeing her from the debris he sees her leg is bent at an unnatural angle. Buffy is still conscious but dazed. Blood trickles from her scalp. She utters one word "Willow." before her head slumps back as she passes out.

When Clark super speeds Buffy back to the mansion he accidentally tears the door off it s hinge as he races inside shouting "Willow!"

Wrapped in a towel, Willow comes running down the stairs a minute later. "What's going on?" she asks. Seeing Buffy in Clark's arms, she instructs him "Put her on the dining room table so I can check her out." Chloe makes her way downstairs still adjusting the clothes she just threw on. She is carrying some sweat pants and a t-shirt for Willow. Focusing her magic, Willow examines Buffy. Fortunately, the leg is the worst of Buffy's injures. Summoning more power, Willow casts healing spells on Buffy to repair Buffy's leg and help with some minor smoke damage to Buffy's lungs. Buffy's healing ability would have taken care of these injuries in a few days but the cost in power is small so Willow doesn't mind spending it. Also, she can see how freaked out Clark is. Chloe is trying to console him but he is clearly still upset.

Buffy wakes with a bit of a headache but otherwise feels fine. She finds herself in her bedroom with an anxious Clark hovering over her. "Hey." she says

"I am so sorry you got hurt Buffy." Clark babbles in a way so cute it can't be as annoying as it should be.

"Clark, this was not your fault. People get hurt; get killed in our world all the time. That doesn't mean it is our fault. We can only do our best." Buffy tries to explain.

"No, I shouldn't have let you. I" he stammers before his head spins. It takes a second for him to realize Buffy just punched him.

Shaking her hand to try and ease the pain shooting through it, Buffy snaps "Don't you dare take responsibility for my choices. I like you Clark, a lot but if you can't respect my choices and whatever consequences they bring then this won't work. Neither of us can save everyone. Without me to help you that fire fighter would have died so just cut the self loathing pity party ok?" She raises his head with her other hand so she can meet his eyes.

"I have lost so many people close to me. I don't want to lose you." he admits. He is tempted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her senseless but his sense of propriety prevents him.

"I will die Clark. Someday one way or another. You can't prevent that. That is why I won't promise you forever. I will promise you right now." she replies as she pulls him towards her so their lips meet. The next minutes fly by as they kiss and caress each other. Buffy pulls his shirt out of his pants so she can run her hands over his muscular chest. She is pleased to feel his hands slide beneath her shirt. She moans softly to encourage him but suddenly he stops. He pulls away. Before she can react he is gone. Punching the bed in frustration, she hears a loud crack as the frame splits from her blow. "Not exactly how I hoped to break the bed." she mutters.

Tracking Chloe down eating some lunch with Willow, Buffy announces "We need to talk."

Swallowing the slice of fruit Willow just fed her, Chloe replies "Ok."

"What is the deal with Clark! Things were progressing nicely and then poof he is gone. Is he trying to drive me crazy!" Buffy fumes as she paces back forth throwing her arms up in the air.

Trying to keep thoughts of exactly what Buffy and Clark must have been doing or about to do, Chloe explains "Well, Clark is probably afraid he will hurt you. With his powers, it is dangerous for him to lose uhm control."

Raising an eyebrow at Chloe's discomfort at discussing this topic, Willow quips "Do I need to turn a certain alien farm boy into a frog?"

"No worries, I am under your spell." Chloe reassures Willow with a caress of Willow's face. Focusing back on Buffy, "When he was with Lana he hurt her one time when he got (pause) well excited. Since that incident he won't risk hurting anyone again. It was one of many things that killed their relationship." she explains.

"A little hurting can be fun." Buffy remarks with a dreamy look in her eye as images of her time with a certain blonde vampire flash through her mind. Realizing she just said that out loud, Buffy blushes before saying "So what can I do?"

"You don't know just how powerful Clark is. He really could kill you entirely by accident. If he were to really lose control not even your slayer abilities could protect you. The only time he and Lana were able to uhm you know was when he didn't have powers or when she did have powers" Chloe states seriously.

"Will?" Buffy asks hopefully.

"I can look into it. I am not sure particularly since he is an alien." Willow states.

"What about the green rocks? If they are nearby but he is not touching them, would that make him human enough?" Buffy asks.

"Kryptonite is poisonous to Clark. Even at a distance it would cause him pain. Although we have encountered several different types. Clark could ask Jor-El if there is a type that would temporarily remove his powers. " Chloe replies. Laughing Chloe imagines Jor-El asking why Clark needs this knowledge and the look on Clark's face.

**At a secret lab hidden in Metropolis**

Green Arrow grunts in pain as his ribs give when he slams into the bookcase. Tasting blood he rolls to his feet and fires off another arrow. This one is like a super taser that even knocked Clark down. Unfortunately, his opponent easily dodges the arrow.

"Pathetic. You primitive projectiles have no hope of hitting me much less harming me." his opponent taunts. Green Arrow's opponent charges him again. This time he lifts Green Arrow high over his head. As he prepares to bring Oliver down on his knee so as to break Oliver's back, Lex's ring falls out of its special pocket.

Green Arrow crashes to the floor as his opponent staggers back in pain. Picking up the ring, Oliver uses it to keep his enemy back. As badly hurt as he is, he knows he can't take this guy even with the ring. Forcing his vision to clear by pure will power, Green Arrow fires a grapple arrow through the skylight so it can pull him to safety.

"Clever but I am a warrior born. I cannot be stopped so easily." Oliver's opponent comments as he strides over to a desk and pulls a gun from the top drawer. By the time he brings it into line to fire, Oliver is almost onto the roof.

Oliver bites down hard to keep from screaming as two bullets enter his body. The first passes straight through his chest piercing a lung on its way. The other lodges in his upper thigh just below the hip joint. Dizzy and barely conscious, Oliver staggers off the roof in his glider. More gunfire follows him but none of the rounds find him. Crashing near his vehicle, he crawls inside and activates the autnav Victor installed for him. Just before he blacks out, he signals Chloe.


End file.
